Concentrated liquids can be used to decrease the size of packaging needed to supply a desired quantity of end result product. However, some concentrated liquids may have a shelf life that is less that desired due to certain components. For example, an acid, such as citric or malic acid, added to a liquid concentrate can decrease the shelf life of the liquid concentrate.
Various attempts have been made to separate different components from each other prior to dispensing. Some of those attempts involve providing a device with a smaller chamber having a wall that is punctured to disperse their contents into a larger chamber, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,735. Another attempts are described, in U.S. Patent Appl. Publ. Nos. 2008/0116221; 2009/0236303; 2008/0245683. A drawback of such devices is that the smaller chamber can undesirably impede dispensing of the combined components. Indeed, in some instances the smaller chamber is removed after it has been punctured. This can limit, the functionality and convenience of the devices.
Yet another problem with concentrated liquids is that they can include concentrated amounts of dye so that after mixing, the resulting product has the desired coloring. These dyes can stain surfaces, such as clothes, skin, etc., if they come into contact with the surfaces. Due to this, a container storing a concentrated liquid is undesirable if it allows the liquid concentrate to drip or otherwise leak from the container in an uncontrolled manner. One form of container releases a stream of liquid out of an opening when squeezed by a user. When this type of container is utilized to store a concentrated liquid, at least two problems can occur. First, due to the staining problem discussed above, if the concentrated liquid is squeezed into a container having a second liquid therein, undesirable splashing can occur when the stream of concentrated liquid impacts the liquid in the container. This splashed material can then stain the surrounding surfaces, as well as the clothes and skin of a user.
Additionally, unlike squeeze containers storing more solid contents where the amount of material being dispensed can be visually assessed, such as a ketchup or salad dressing bottle, a squeeze container dispensing a liquid concentrate into another liquid can disadvantageously be hard for a user to assess how much concentrated liquid has been dispensed in order to achieve the desired end mixture. Yet another problem can occur as the level of concentrated liquid remaining in the container is reduced during repeated uses. In this situation, the amount of concentrated liquid dispensed using the same squeeze force can disadvantageously change significantly as the liquid concentrate level changes within the container.